I’ve lost four important people in my life because of cancer.  The first was my maternal grandfather, Philip Harris, when I was just seven years old.  He was a Civil Engineer for the California Department of Transportation.  Because of how young I was when he died, I have only a couple of memories of him.  One memory was a time when I visited him in the hospital with my mom after my grandpa had a part of one of his legs amputated (he ended up having three separate amputations on the same leg).  That was more than 40 years ago.  I have no doubt he could have benefitted from the research being done at the Huntsman and the advancements in cancer treatment in the past 40 years.

Second, my paternal aunt, Sandra “Sandy” Bonneau, died fifteen years ago from melanoma.  She was truly an amazing woman!  She was both a teacher and the swim coach at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California.  Thankfully, she was in my life for many years, and I have many cherished memories of her.  My uncle had retired just three years prior to my aunt’s passing, and they had plans and dreams to travel throughout the States and the world after she, too, had recently retired.  Sadly, they didn’t get the opportunity.

Third, one of my maternal uncles, Gerald Morgan, died 21 years ago from brain cancer.  He was an amazing man who was smart, witty, and a lot of fun to be around.  He was diagnosed in May of 2003 and passed away in January of 2004.  It all felt very sudden.

Fourth, and most recently, is my mother in-law, Ronda Cook.  She, too, was an amazing woman and a huge part of my life.  After being diagnosed and subsequently beating breast cancer in 2002 and 2003, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2014 and endured brutal chemotherapy.  She was treated at the Huntsman Cancer Center and was fortunate enough to participate in some of their trials.  The people at the Huntsman are incredible!  Ronda fought her cancer as hard and as best she could until finally succumbing to its unrelenting grasp in 2021.

Each of these family members is dear to me and holds a special place in my heart.  I'm participating in this ride in honor and memory of Philip, Sandy, Gerald, and Ronda.

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